USL PRO News Release
Friday, August 30, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – The semifinals of the 2013 USL PRO Playoffs are set as four of the top teams in the league compete for a chance to claim a championship. The action kicks off on Friday night as No. 2-seed Orlando City hosts the No. 3-seed Charleston Battery at the Florida Citrus Bowl, and continues on Saturday night as the regular-season champion Richmond Kickers host the No. 5-seed Charlotte Eagles at City Stadium. Both games will be streamed live on USLNation.com.
No. 2 Orlando City vs. No. 3 Charleston Battery
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Florida Citrus Bowl
Orlando City and the Charleston Battery meet for the second time in three seasons in the USL PRO Playoffs, with the Lions coming in off an impressive 5-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the quarterfinals. The defending champion Battery, meanwhile, will try to claim their first victory in club history at the Florida Citrus Bowl after earning a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Blues Saturday night.
Orlando holds the edge in the all-time series between the teams, including a 3-1 extra time victory in the 2011 USL PRO Playoffs. This season the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Charleston before the Lions took a 2-1 victory in Orlando in their last meeting on July 11. Both games were full of action, with the Battery outshooting the Lions in both contests, only for standout goalkeeping by Jon Kempin (12 saves in two games) to help lead the Lions to four points from a possible six.
No. 1 Richmond Kickers vs. No. 5 Charlotte Eagles
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium
One of the longest-running rivalries in USL history will continue as the Richmond Kickers host the Charlotte Eagles after edging past the Dayton Dutch Lions 1-0 on a goal by Joseph Ngwenya in the quarterfinals Saturday night. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals with the only road victory of the opening round of the playoffs, with Jorge Herrera and Christian Ramirez each finding the net to continue their strong seasons for Charlotte.
The Kickers hold a 22-11-10 edge in the rivalry’s history, with both clubs in their 21st seasons. Their first meeting in the regular season at City Stadium proved to be a classic that ended in a 3-3 draw, with Richmond taking a 2-0 halftime lead before the Eagles stormed back to take the lead in the 90th minute on a goal by Shaun Francis. The Kickers responded deep in stoppage time, however, as Conor Shanosky scored to earn his side a point. Richmond edged past the Eagles in Charlotte in their last meeting on August 2 as Ngwenya scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory, but Charlotte, which lost just twice on the road all season, is hopeful of bringing the Kickers’ dream season to an end.
Stay up to date with all of the action in the 2013 USL PRO Playoffs through the league’s free online streaming service, USLNation.com, and also follow the race for the playoffs via Twitter (@USLPRO), Facebook and Google+ for live updates from every game, plus news, previews and recaps of all the action.